Can opening device



0611. 3, 1967 c YOUNG CAN OPENIHG DEVICE Filed Sept. 11, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. CLAUDE A. YOUNG ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,344,763 CAN OPENING DEVICE Claude A. Young, 126 N. Kensiugton St, La Grange, Ill. 60525 Filed Sept. 11, 1964, Ser. No. 395,811 6 Claims. (Cl. 113-1) My invention relates to a device for opening cans, and more particularly to a device especially adapted for opening metal cans without cutting or tearing the metal in any way.

My Patent 3,006,303 discloses a can openin arrangement that for the first time provides a practical way of opening cans without cutting, tearing, or puncturing the metal. This improved can opener arrangement comprises an anvil member, a wedge member, and a head or forming member, all of which are employed in the manner described in said patent to open the can by separating the rim of the can closure from the rim of the can body.

These principal components are supplemented by a device for rotating the can about its central axis so that the can lid is separated from the can body in a progressive manner about the ridge that forms the rim of the can at its end.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide specific improvements over the can opener arrangement shown in said patent, and also to provide a hand tool for use in lifting the can lid from the can after it has been separated from the can body, when this is necessary.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a can opener arrangement and hand tool device that are inexpensive of manufacture, convenient in use and readily adapted to all conventional cans.

Other objects, uses, and advantages of the invention will be obvious or become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the application drawings.

, In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic vertical sectional view, partially in elevation, illustrating one specific embodiment of the invention and providing a showing similar to that of FIGURE 1 of my said patent;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in FIGURE 1, showing a novel indexing handle arrangement in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan View of the anvil of the embodiment of FIGURE 1, and associated structures taken approximately along line 33 of FIGURE 1;

.FIGURE 4 is a fragmental view of a portion of the anvil structure shown in FIGURE 4 illustrating a specific improvement in the anvil;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view taken from the left hand side of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmental cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 66 of FIGURE 3 illustrating a novel automatic shut-ofi arrangement for the embodiment of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of a novel lid lifter device arranged in accordance with this invention and especially adapted for lifting can lids from their cans after they have been separated by employing my can opener device of FIGURES 1-6;

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional view substantially along line 88 of FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a fiagmental cross-sectional view through a conventional can edge portion, on an enlarged scale, for the purpose of illustrating the parts thereof.

However, it is to be distinctly understood that the specific drawing illustrations provided are supplied primarily to comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112, and that the invention may have other specific embodiments.

Reference numeral 10 of FIGURE 1 generally indicates a specific embodiment of my invention which is arranged to operate in accordance with the general principles disclosed in my Patent 3,006,303.

The device 10 thus generally comprises an anvil member 12, a wedge member 14, a hammer or head forming member 16, and a can rotating device or rotator 18.

As described in my Patent 3,006,303, containers such as the can shown in FIGURE 9 are sealed by having the rim of flange 22 of the can body and the rim of flange 26 of the can end or closure 28 placed together and bent over against the outer surface 30 of the side of the can body 31. Ordinarily, a sealant material is applied between the rims 22 and 26 where indicated at 32 and the can end is dished somewhat so that a ridge 33 is formed by the rims 22 and 26. It is common practice to seal most cans in use today in the manner indicated in FIGURE 9 by machines of well-known design which require no further description.

As described in my said patent, the can is placed in association with the anvil member 12, the wedge member 14, the hammer member 16, and the rotator 18 by positioning the wedge and hammer members so that they are in the retracted (lowered) position and then inserting the can ridge 33 in the operating space that is located between the anvil member and the wedge and hammer members. The can may be supported from below by either of the support arrangements disclosed in my said patent.

Thereafter, the wedge, hammer and rotator members are actuated to unfold the can ridge 33 in the manner described in said patent. When the can has been rotated about 360 degrees, the can end, now a lid, may be removed from the can body end, although the opening action on the can is such that the can end makes a plug fit within the can body. To aid in removing the can end, the tool shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 may be employed as it is especially designed to engage the unfolded can end edge.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 1 and 5, the anvil, wedge, hammer and rotator members and devices are shown appropriately mounted in a suitable can opener mechanism housing that is in turn secured to a motor housing 61 which in practice is suitably formed in any suitable manner to serve as a suitable supporting base for can opener 10. The wedge member comprises a head 62 afiixed to an actuator element 64 projecting outwardly of the housing 60 through window 66.

Hammer member comprises a head 68 afiixed to an actuator member 70 and with the head 68 also projecting outwardly of the'window 66 formed in housing wall 67.

In the present arrangement, the actuator members 64 and 70 are pivoted in side by side relation to pin 72 shown in FIGURE 5 and engage eccentric cam portions 74 and 76, respectively, of operating shaft 78 which is journalled in the housing in any suitable manner, such as that suggested in the drawings, and driven by an appropriate electric motor drive (not shown).

The operating shaft 78 rotates about the axis 80 shown in FIGURE 5 relative to pin 72 and it is to be understood 7 that the shaping of the eccentric portions 74 and 76 of shaft 78 as well as the cooperating parts of members 64 and 70 should be such to move the Wedge and hammer members in accordance with the teachings of my said patent.

Further in accordance with this invention, the rotating device 18 comprises a slide bar 82 which is actuated by being secured to an actuator member 84 that engages an eccentric portion 86 of operating shaft 78, with the latter being designed to reciprocate the bar 82 in a timed relationship defined in my said patent to rotate the can as required. The end portion 88 of the slide bar 82 has the timed relationship defined in my said patent to rotate the 3 can as required. The end portion 88 of the slide bar 82 engages the individual can rim deflections after they are formed by the wedge member to rotate the can to a new position wherein the pocket that is formed by the wedge member is positioned for alignment with the hammer member 16.

In the present specific arrangement, the slidebar 82 is fixed to its actuator member 84 by appropriate bolts 90 extending through appropriate slots 92 formed in the housing 60.

The anvil member 12 comprises in the embodiment an arm 92 pivotally secured to the housing by a suitable screw 94 for pivotal movement about the longitudinal axis of the screw. The arm 92 includes lug portion 96 that forms the pivotal connection as well as the anvil portion 98 that defines a projecting rib or ridge 100 that has a curvature approximating that encountered in the smallest of typical cans, and defines at its base an internal can ridge engaging shoulder 101. On either side of the rib or ridge 100 are lands 102 and 104 that are coplanar, and as indicated in FIGURE 3, the arm 92 includes a projection or hump 106 (in vertical alignment with wedge .mernber 12) that projects away from the lip or ridge 100 and under the end of the slide bar 82 and forms a co- The arm 92 at its end 108 is recessed as at 110, to

receive a compression spring 112, the other end of which is received in a similar recess 114 formed in an abutment block 116 that is aflixed in a suitable manner to the housing, as by suitable screws 118. Spring 112 biases hump 106 against housing wall 67, which thus serves as a stop for the anvil member.

When the can opener is to open cans of the same size, the ridge or lip 100 can have an arcuate shape conforming to the radius of curvature of the ridge of the can. However, where the can opener is to open cans of varying sizes, the ridge or lip 100 should be of shorter length and centered with respect to anvil portion 98 as well as beinglocated with respect to the wedge and hammer members in the manner disclosed in my said patent.

The resiliently controlled pivotal action of anvil 12 about the central axis of screw 94 provides adjustment for variations in can size and wall thickness. An adjustable stop between abutment 116 and anvil 12 is necessary because of the different amount of the varying movement of the anvil needed for different diameter size groups of cans varying thickness of can rims; this stop, which may be in the form of a set screw extending transversely of the abutment 116, should be adjusted when opening larger or smaller cans to properly limit its movement.

The hump 106 is considered important in that it provides additional surface for a can ridge 33 to engage the anvil in the event that the can is dented or not quite in the correct operating plane. The additional space radially outwardly of the lip or ridge 100 and in the direction of hump 106 insures that the anvil portion 98 will not fall into the recess defined by the can ridge 33 about the top of the can.

Mounted adjacent the arm 92 is a vertically disposed pin 120 (see FIGURE 6) that is received within a bore 122 formed in the housing 60 and is provided with a head 124 that is disposed adjacent the path of operation of the can as it is being rotated by a device 10. The pin head 124 should be located so that it is engaged by the unfolded its end portion 132 engaging the end 134 of pin 120.

At The stem carries electrically connected contacts 136 that are adapted to engage with stationary contacts 138 mounted inside the body 128 which are in turn connected within the electrical circuit by suitable leads 137 and 139 in such a manner that the switch 26 forms an off-on switch for the motor, when contacts 136 are separated from contacts 138. Stem 130 is provided with a handle 140 that may be grasped to manually turn off the can opener motor, if so desired, or to manually re-connect the olf-on switch 126 after the can opener operation has been completed and the can has been removed. Pin 124 is positioned so that when the can opener motor is shut off, there is still a sufficient connection with the can lid to the can body to form a loose hinge for the lid.

Shaft 78 is preferably operated by being driven by a suitable motor through shaft and appropriate gearing where indicated at 152.

In accordance with this invention, an improved indicator arrangement is provided to indicate by feel when the wedge and hammer members are appropriately positioned to receive the can rim. This position is when the wedge and hammer members are lowered, as described in said patent, and in line with the present invention, an arrow type handle device is provided which comprises a disc member 162 keyed to shaft 178 and provided with a pointed projecting portion 164, which in accordance with this invention is to be so oriented with respect to the shaft 78 and the operation of the wedge and hammer members that when the pointed projection 164 is in its upright position, the wedge and hammer members are retracted or in their lower positions and the slide bar 82 is retracted.

Thus, the operator may quickly and competently position device 10 to receive a can merely by grasping the disc-like member 162 and turning it to position its pointed projection 164 in an upright position. The can ridge then may be slipped into operating area 18 in the manner described above and in accordance with said patent.

Lid lifter device 50 is especially arranged to lift cover or lid 20 from the can body 30 after the can opening procedure has been completed. Lid lifter 50 comprises an elongate member 180 in the form of a piece of sheet metal formed to define the U-shaped configuration shown in FIGURE 8. The member 80 comprises a hand grasping portion 182, a rocker portion 184 at the opposite end of member 180, and a depending hook portion 186 that is separated from rocker portion 184 by the recessed or notched portion 188.

The rocker portion 184 is characterized by a smoothly curved edge portion 190 that is convex in configuration, and which, inwardly of the rocker portion 184 merges into the notch portion 188. The notch portion is proportioned to receive the disengaged rims of the can lid and body, substantially in the manner indicated in FIGURE 8, when the device 50 is applied to the can end and the can lid lifting position shown in FIGURE 7.

The depending hook portion comprises a lower can body engaging tip 192 and an upper sharply angled shoulder or protuberance 194 that is intended to engage under the separated vertically disposed portion 196 of gddrim 26 for the purpose of prying the lid from the can Separating the tip 192 and the shoulder or projection 194 is a concavely shaped arcuate margin 198 that is proportioned to clear the disengaged portion 200 of the lid rim 22, during the lid raising process.

It should be observed that a special proportioning is required insofar as the recess or notch portion 188, the angled projection 194, the arcuate portion 198, the tip 192, and the arcuate edge portion 190 of rocker portion 194. Thus, these parts are to be so proportioned that as the handle portion 182 of tool 50 is rocked upwardly (assuming the position shown in FIGURE 7 with respect to V a can end that has been detached in accordance with said patent), with the tip 192 placed in engagement with the side of the can, the pointed or sharply angled projection or protuberance 194 will engage under rim portion 196 of lid 20 but be spaced from and clear the can end rim portion 200; further as the tool 50 is rocked further upwardly, the tip 192 is cammed upwardly of the can end and the angled shoulder or projection 194 passes over the outwardly extending rim portion 200 of the can body. This results in a prying action being applied to the lid rim portion 196 that pries the can lid loose from its normal plug fit with respect to the can end so that the lid may be readily grasped in ones fingers and removed from the can end to expose its contents.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, the shoulder 194 is spaced approximately A of an inch from can body surface 30 when the device 50 is in the position of FIG- URE 7C and is thus horizontally disposed.

In the specific tool 50, the handle portion 182 is characterized by having the lower edges 202 of member 180 angled to oppose each other from the end 204 of handle portion 182 up to the depending projection 186. Both sides 206 of the U-shaped configuration of the member 180 are formed to define the rocker portion 184, the notch portion 188, and the depending hook portion 186 as well as the special configuration thereof that is shown in FIGURE 7.

However, the general configuration shown in FIGURE 7 when applied to a' single layer or sheet of material will remove lids 20 that have been opened in accordance with said patent just as effectively.

Lid lifter 50 is to be distinguished from ordinary lid lifters which have a conventional hook portion of the type usually associated with bottle cap openers that is intended to hook under the edge of a lid or cap of ordinary bottles and the like. The hook portions of these conventional devices are so shaped that they hook under the rim portion 200 of the can body and thus fail to engage the lid rim portion 196, which renders them useless to open or lift lids of cans that have been opened in accordance with my said patent.

It will therefore be seen that I have provided an improved can opener arrangement following the principles of my said patent that includes some novel and advantageous features. I have also provided a distinctly different lid lifter device that is especially designed for use when necessary in practicing the invention disclosed in my said patent.

The aforegoing description and the drawings are given merely to explain and illustrate my invention and the invention is not to be limited thereto, except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, since those skilled in the art who have my disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim: 7 1. In a can opener of the type adapted to open cans by unfolding the can ridge that is formed at the end of the can by folding the can closure and body end rims folded over against the side of the can, and wherein the can opener comprises means for supporting the can in an upright can opening position, an anvil member defining an internal shoulder positioned and proportioned to engage the outwardly projecting edge of the can ridge in said position of said can, a wedge member and a hammer member reciprocably mounted below said shoulder for up and down movement and shaped to unfold said rims as the can is rotated in said position, means for rotating said can, and means for driving said wedge and hammer members and said can rotating means, the improvement wherein said can opener includes:

automatic shut off means for controlling said driving means, 7

said shut off means including an actuating member positioned to be engaged by said unfolded portion of said ridge when the ridge unfolding operation is substantially completed,

v said shut off means including manually actuatable actuator means for controlling said shut off means,

a disc member coupled to said wedge and hammer members and mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis,

said disc member defining an upstanding projection along one edge thereof,

with said disc member being oriented with respect to the sequence of movement of said wedge and hammer members such that when said projection is in an upstanding position said wedge and hammer members are retracted from said anvil member.

2. The improvement set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said anvil member is mounted to pivot about an axis that extends parallel to the plane of movement of said wedge and hammer members and is adjacent said plane but spaced from said wedge and hammer members,

and including resilient means for biasing said anvil member in the direction of said plane.

3. The improvement set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said anvil member is formed to define a hump extending from said shoulder across the plane of movement of said wedge and hammer members for extending the area of contact between can ridges and said shoulder laterally of said shoulder.

4. In a can opener of the type adapted to open cans by unfolding the can ridge that is formed at the end of the can by folding the can closure and body end rims folded over against the side of the can, and wherein the can opener comprises an anvil member defining an internal shoulder positioned and proportioned to engage the outwardly projecting edge of the can ridge of the upper end of the can when the can is disposed in an upright can opening position, a wedge member and a hammer member reciprocably mounted below said shoulder for up and down movement and shaped to unfold said rims as the can is rotated in said position, means for rotating said can, and means for driving said wedge and hammer members and said can rotating means, the improvement wherein said can opener includes:

said anvil member being mounted to pivot toward and away from the plane of movement of said wedge and hammer members,

and resilient means for biasing said anvil member in the direction of said plane,

said anvil member being formed to define a hump extending from said shoulder across the plane of movement of said wedge and hammer members for extending the area of contact between can ridges and said shoulder laterally of said shoulder,

and stop means for limiting the movement of said anvil under the action of said resilient means to position said hump in said plane.

5. In a can opener of the type adapted to open cans by unfolding the can ridge that is formed at the end of the can by folding the can closure and body end rims folded over against the side of the can, and wherein the can opener comprises means for supporting the can in an upright can opening position, an anvil member defining an internal shoulder positioned and proportioned to engage the outwardly projecting edge of the can ridge in said position of said can, a wedge member and a hammer member reciprocably mounted below said shoulder for up and down movement and shaped to unfold said rims as the can is rotated in said position, means for rotating said can, and means for driving said wedge and hammer members and said can rotating means, the improvement wherein said can opener includes:

a disc member coupled to said wedge and hammer members and mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis,

said disc member defining an upstanding projection along one edge thereof,

with said disc member being oriented with respect to over against the side of the can, and wherein the can opener comprises means for supporting the can in an upright can opening position, an anvil member defining an internal shoulder positioned and proportioned to engage the outwardly projecting edge of the can ridge in said position of said can, a wedge member and a hammer member reciprocably mounted below said shoulder for 'up and down movement and shaped to unfold said rims as the can is rotated in said position, means for rotating said can, and means for driving said wedge and hammer members and said can rotating means, the improvement wherein said can opener includes:

automatic shut oif means for controlling said driving means, said shut ofi means including an actuating member positioned to be engaged by said unfolded portion of said ridge when the ridge unfolding operation is substantially completed,

said shut off means including manually actuatable actuator means for manually controlling said shut off means,

said anvil member being mounted to pivot toward and away from the plane of movement of said wedge and hammer members,

and including resilient means for biasing said anvil member in the direction of said plane,

said anvil member being formed to define a hump extending from said shoulder across the plane of movement of said wedge and hammer members for extending the area of contact between can ridges and said shoulder laterally of said shoulder,

and stop means for limiting the movement of said anvil under the action of said resilient means to position said hump in said plane.

RICHARD J. HERBST, Primary Examiner.

8/1961 Pinette 30-4 

1. IN A CAN OPENER OF THE TYPE ADAPTED TO OPEN CANS BY UNFOLDING THE CAN RIDGE THAT IS FORMED AT THE END OF THE CAN BY FOLDING THE CAN CLOSURE AND BODY END RIMS FOLDED OVER AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE CAN, AND WHEREIN THE CAN OPENER COMPRISES MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE CAN IN AN UPRIGHT CAN OPENING POSITION, AN ANVIL MEMBER DEFINING AN INTERNAL SHOULDER POSITIONED AND PROPORTIONED TO ENGAGE THE OUTWARDLY PROJECTING EDGE OF THE CAN RIDGE IN SAID POSITION OF SAID CAN, A WEDGE MEMBER AND A HAMMER MEMBER RECIPROCABLY MOUNTED BELOW SAID SHOULDER FOR UP AND DOWN MOVEMENT AND SHAPED TO UNFOLD SAID RIMS AS THE CAN IS ROTATED IN SAID POSITION, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CAN, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID WEDGE AND HAMMER MEMBERS AND SAID CAN ROTATING MEANS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID CAN OPENER INCLUDES: AUTOMATIC SHUT OFF MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID DRIVING MEANS, SAID SHUT OFF MEANS INCLUDING AN ACTUATING MEMBER POSITIONED TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID UNFOLDED PORTION OF SAID RIDGE WHEN THE RIDGE UNFOLDING OPERATION IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETED, SAID SHUT OFF MEANS INCLUDING MANUALLY ACTUATABLE ACTUATOR MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID SHUT OFF MEANS, A DISC MEMBER COUPLED TO SAID WEDGE AND HAMMER MEMBERS AND MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS, SAID DISC MEMBER DEFINING AN UPSTANDING PROJECTION ALONG ONE EDGE THEREOF, WITH SAID DISC MEMBER BEING ORIENTED WITH RESPECT TO THE SEQUENCE OF MOVEMENT OF SID WEDGE AND HAMMER MEMBERS SUCH THAT WHEN SAID PROJECTION IS IN AN UPSTANDING POSITION SAID WEDGE AND HAMMER MEMBERS ARE RETRACTED FROM SAID ANVIL MEMBER. 